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UFC Fight Night 106: How Can The Old Lion Vitor Belfort Take Out Kelvin Gastelum?

Vitor Belfort looks to get another high profile win as he faces off against new middleweight addition Kelvin Gastelum. It’s a tough fight for both men but for different reasons. But before I delve into the analysis, I do want to touch on the fact that Belfort is truly a monster. To be in this sport for over twenty years and still be considered a live dog is something truly special. But Kelvin Gastelum is no joke and if Belfort is going to beat him, he’ll need the perfect game plan going in.

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Kelvin Gastelum has had his troubles making down to welterweight which forced the UFC’s hand in sending the prospect up to middleweight. Where it seemed like Gastelum would have trouble with larger opposition, he instead opened many eyes with his thrashing of middleweight veteran Tim Kennedy. After facing adversity in the opening round, Gastelum used his speed advantage to rattle off fast, slick combinations that eventually left Kennedy broken. Gastelum will want to strike in this match as well but also mix in his strong wrestling as well. Belfort is still blindingly fast and extended exchanges could prove to be Gastelum’s undoing. A nice blast double under a failed Belfort straight left could certainly be the tool Gastelum needs to outduel the veteran.

On the other side of the equation, Vitor Belfort had definitely seen brighter days. Age, and a lack of TRT, is catching up with ‘The Phenom’ who lost his last two bouts against Gegard Mousasi and Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. Neither of those fighters are cakewalks, but the ease in which they were able to dismantle Belfort gives one a feeling of foreboding heading into this match. But Vitor Belfort has never been one to back down from a challenge so he intends to show the young gun Gastelum he still has some juice left. What Belfort will have to do is put doubt in the young man early. A southpaw counter fighter, Belfort will have to make Gastelum pay for staying in the pocket. Gastelum himself is a southpaw which will make certain counters easier, a pull counter and a counter right hook comes to mind. When Gastelum comes into strike Belfort will have to counter sharply or at least give the young prospect something to worry about every time he rushes in. Keeping his back off the cage will be essential to avoiding wrestling clinches, takedowns and a barrage of strikes as Gastelum enjoys great success beating the breaks off fighters along the fence. A strong pivot out after every exchange will both get Belfort’s hips out of danger for a takedown as well as potential open up the left straight or uppercut should he feel compelled to use it. Countering off of Gastelum kicks should also be a priority for the former light heavyweight champion.

Will this be the swan song of the great Vitor Belfort? Will Kelvin Gastelum cement himself as a legit middleweight contender? Guess we’re all gonna have to tune in to see.

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Gegard Mousasi Once Again Proves That The Squeaky Wheel Gets The Oil In Modern MMA

These days if you’re looking to make the big bucks in MMA you better be a damn good talker. While fighting ability should be the end all be all, the reality is that if you’re looking to get truckloads of money then you’re going to have to market yourself the right way. There’s nothing like a good story line to hang your hat on and it’s exactly what the fans want to see. Ticket sales and pay-per-view purchases can’t simply be sold on the prospect of a good performance. Personalities are what sell these days and if you’re looking to get things done and move the needle in your favor then you better have a good marketing plan set up.

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There’s a reason why everyone has been taking the “Conor McGregor” approach these days. What McGregor and Ronda Rousey have done for the sport is revealed the truth behind success in prize fighting. Being a standout, polarizing figure is what’s going to generate interest and in turn produce dough.

Yes, it’s sad that fighters have to resort to being brand these days. Somewhere in the back of our minds we still want to believe in the purity of the sport. But that kind of mindset isn’t going to pay the bills. A fighter can’t feed themselves by simply being honorable and believing in the fighting spirit (unless it’s a character that can be sold that is).

The truth is money talks, literally. If you want something in this game then you’re going to have to take it and the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Just ask Gegard Mousasi.

With the recent announcement of his bout against Chris Weidman at UFC 210, Gegard Mousasi has proven that voicing your opinions and being heard is important to get things done. He had no fights on his plate and nothing to look forward to in his immediate future. That is, until he started calling out all the fighters in the top fifteen in the middleweight division. It seemed that with enough trash talk that things were able to come together and Mousasi got the top five opponent he’s been looking for.

Do I wish prize fighting could be all about the purity of the endeavor? I certainly do. But I also realize that it’s a hard lifestyle to live and in order to make it and build a nest egg for yourself and your family then you have to do what’s necessary to generate income. These days that means creating a persona for yourself and letting everyone know it too.

What’s your thoughts on this new era of MMA?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Opinion: Tyron Woodley Should Focus On Welterweight Division Instead of Michael Bisping

Tyron Woodley. The UFC welterweight champion. The man looking for a big payday. And why the hell not? That’s the point of prize fighting in the first place isn’t it? To throw your bones at another human being and get paid loads of cash. At least that’s how things would be in a perfect world. Instead, fighters are competing against each other for a disporportionate amount of money compared to what they bring in. Tyron Woodley wants his big payday and he’s looking to get it through battling against fellow champion Michael Bisping. The problem with that is Woodley once again has the worst timing.

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At UFC 205, Woodley faced off with a little known fighter named Stephen Thompson. They battled it out back and forth until the final bell. The bout was ruled a draw leaving both the fighters and fans with a bitter taste in their mouths. But rather than campaigning to battle it out with Stephen Thompson for the second time and settle the score, Woodley is trying to ignore the fact that he fought to a majority draw a couple months ago and challenge Michael Bisping for the middleweight title.

Huh?

Yes, prize fighting is about getting paid. But with fighting to a draw in your last match it’s going to be hard to imagine who wouldn’t want to see Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley battle it out for a second time. UFC 205 gave both fighters tremendous exposure, so much so that they can certainly carry a pay-per-view and generate big numbers in the process. But since Conor McGregor got his crack at the featherweight and lightweight titles it seems that everyone is jumping on the multiple title bandwagon. Even newly minted bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is trying to call out champions in other divisions.

What Woodley, Garbrandt, and any other champion of their ilk need to understand is that while campaigning for super fights may line their pockets as well as those of the company, it’s a huge risk for the UFC. If one of their champions is defeated then they risk being diminished in some way. It’s certainly exciting to see, but the risk of Woodley getting dominated or Garbrandt getting knocked out would tarnish both the brand of the fighters as well as the brand of the promotion. It’s an easier sell to have Woodlehy rematch Thompson in the near future rather than hold up both divisions. Conor McGregor already made things complicated at featherweight and it’s unlikely that the top brass wants to see that happen again in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.

Think about it. It’s hard for people to look at Jose Aldo as the undisputed featherweight champion when he was brained by McGregor just a couple of fights ago. It diminished his brand somewhat, but certainly not enough to destroy his legacy. Nevertheless, the same could happen if Woodley faces Bisping. Rather than damage the stock of one of their champions it’s more likely that the UFC will choose to try and turn both men into superstars.

With all due respect to Woodley, he should look to set himself up as the definitive champion in his division and the big pay days will come about. He surely gained popularity with his draw against Stephen Thompson, but fighting to a draw doesn’t a dominant champion make. Instead of challenging fighters in other weight divisions, Woodley should be chomping at the bit to prove to the world that he’s the best welterweight in the world. Like it or not, the fans want clarity, the UFC wants clarity, and frankly, Woodley and Thompson need clarity before anyone starts talking about super fights.

What’s your thoughts on a potential Woodley versus Bisping showdown?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Fallout: Derek Brunson’s Gaff, Conor McGregor Stripped Of Featherweight Title

So for any of you paying attention this weekend, there’s been a major shake up in the featherweight division. The UFC has decided to strip Conor McGregor of the featherweight title and upgrade the interim champion Jose Aldo to full fledged undisputed champ. It wasn’t that the move by the UFC was the wrong one, but the way it was done certainly left people scratching their heads. But that’s not all that happened this weekend.

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So before we get into the main topic of the article, there’s no way I can simply gloss over the UFC Fight Night 100 main event clash between Robert Whitaker and Derek Brunson. It was a battle between two highly touted prospects who have a bright future ahead of them at middleweight, but as of now only one man is moving forward while the other has to return to the drawing board. The latter in this equation is mister Brunson who had a peculiar performance to say the least.

Brunson has been on a high as of late, finishing many of his opponents by knock out in the first round. He tried to continue that trend against a more polished counter striker in Whitaker who remained patient, survived a barrage of punches, then clipped Brunson with a well timed left hook. There’s no way to excuse it. Brunson was sloppy. His head was far forward past his front knee, a big no no in high level striking, and eventually was reaching for Whitaker with every punch. Brunson’s display of sloppy striking makes you wonder how he was able to get this far in the rankings. Brunson certainly has the skills to go far in the UFC, but at this level of the game you have to be patient and controlled with a game plan in order to reap success.

Switching gears, the UFC stripping Conor McGregor unceremoniously on a Fight Night card was pretty peculiar. Sure, the event may have had a good number of eyes on it, but it just seems so strange to randomly say “hey, by the way, Conor McGregor is no longer the champion at featherweight, Jose Aldo is now” will only have the effect of throwing people off. Yes, UFC 206 needed a big fight to replace Daniel Cormier versus Anthony Johnson. Yes, upping the stakes with a championship level match does make things more enticing. But even a small press conference or press release would have been more professional.

Now, we can argue whether or not McGregor should have been stripped of the 145 lbs belt, but at this point it’s fair to say that the masses expect a certain level of professionalism from the biggest mixed martial arts promotion in the world. It’s shoddy work to say the least and we expect more.

Do you think the UFC handled the Conor McGregor situation well?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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Did Dan Henderson Deserve The Win At UFC 204?

So, yeah, wasn’t expecting that fight to go that way. Dan Henderson once again proved the adage that power is the last thing to leave an older fighter. Henderson nearly flat lined Michael Bisping a number of times during their UFC 204 main event showdown. While most media outlets and MMA pundits didn’t give Henderson a snowball’s chance, me included, the veteran proved that the power in his right hand has the ability to make the impossible possible. Though Bisping showed heart and performed well in the last few rounds of the bout, is there a case to say that Dan Henderson actually won the fight?

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Before we delve deep into notion that scoring the fight as a whole, Pride never dies and all that good stuff, it should be noted that I don’t think the scoring system we have in MMA is all that horrible. Judges on the other hand can be complete incompetent. Now, let’s consider the fact that of the two fighters in the main event, Michael Bisping surely took more damage. While Dan Henderson may not have won every round during their match up, he did manage to land a few of those one hitter quitters on Bisping’s chin. Credit to Bisping surviving, but that doesn’t change the fact that Henderson was able to rearrange the champion’s face in the process.

Now here’s the thing. Other than the few moments of Dan Henderson hurting the champ, most of the fight so Michael Bisping styling on the long time veteran. Henderson didn’t throw in combination which meant that through some well placed feints and speedy combinations, Bisping was able to deal with Hendo with general ease. But we have to wonder if well placed shots with little power necessarily outweighs hard, brutalizing blows. The strikes that Henderson landed were more telling and brought the fight closer to a definitive conclusion than the work Bisping had done through five rounds.

The fifth and final round was interesting as well as we saw Dan Henderson rely on his wrestling to score some points against the champion. The round ended up being the deciding factor in the fight and had Henderson landed just a few more meaningful strikes, the fifth would have likely gone to the veteran. All that said it’s hard not to admire Bisping’s work throughout the match as well as his ability to take a beating and come back for more.

While we have to consider damage as the biggest criteria in a match up, the truth of the matter is that until the scoring system is changed, there’s no way a fighter can simply rely on landing damaging blows to win a fight. One hard shot can’t outweigh the dozens of strikes Bisping was able to land. Would have been nice to see Henderson make history and walk away with the belt, but he’ll just have to settle on having an amazing career with Hall of Fame status written all over it.

Who do you think won the main event of UFC 204?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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UFC 204 Breakdown: Michael Bisping vs Dan Henderson

If you told me this time last year that Michael Bisping would be the UFC middleweight champion in 2016 I would have laughed in your face. Not that I thought Bisping was unskilled or not capable, simply that the odds weren’t in his favor. If you had said Dan Henderson would be contending for that same middleweight title in the same stretch of time I would have calmly taken a step back and, once at a safe enough distance, asked if you were off your meds. But that’s the beauty of MMA. There’s no script, nothing that is set in stone.

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Michael Bisping has tasted the power in the right hand of Dan Henderson once before and the end result wasn’t a pretty sight. If the first British UFC champion once to remain king of the hill he’ll have to make some fundamental changes to his approach that wasn’t present in his first bout with Henderson. Firstly, Bisping is going to want to circle to his right away from the H-Bomb especially in those first five minutes. Bisping has a good jab that he can use both as a range finder and as a legitimate weapon. Once he finds the perfect distance, Bisping doesn’t hesitate to throw in combination and does so with damn good accuracy. Expect Bisping to dance on the outside and pick Henderson apart at distance.

Old man Dan Henderson is still in the thick of it despite being 46 years of age. But with age comes experience, something that Henderson has a ton of. But that won’t be enough to rely on in this battle against Bisping. Ideally Henderson is going to want to stay in Bisping’s face through the twenty-five minute bout in hopes of landing a big shot. The problem is that Henderson doesn’t have the chin that he used to and he’s going to have to wade through some fire to get to Bisping. In his most recent bouts there seems to be a lack of patience in Henderson’s game. He’s going to have to set up his strikes with a jab and should focus on throwing his heavy artillery to Bisping’s body rather than just head hunting the entire time. If Henderson can beat up Bisping to the body and put some doubt in the champ’s mind then he could likely uncork a devastating right hand up top to close the show.

Dan Henderson certainly has a chance to win in this fight, but it’s a puncher’s chance at best. Look For Michael Bisping to piece up Henderson on the feet before securing a second round TKO.

Do you think Dan Henderson has a shot at making history?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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